Reflection

 Gabe Avritscher

Dr. Ott

Personal Finance

January 14 2022

Course Reflection

Although I had an idea of what my finances would look like in my upcoming collegiate years, I found it very helpful to carefully examine all the expenses I will encounter through the Game of Life. It was also interesting to see how my financial landscape changed once I entered the workforce and could build up my net worth. The books were equally helpful, as they provided invaluable insight and tips for making the most out of your income. The books also introduced me to numerous concepts I didn't have much familiarity with, such as mutual funds, Roth IRAs, ETFs, and blockchain technology. The book about crypto assets was the most intriguing, as despite it being a more complex reading, it did an excellent job of detailing the whole crypto revolution. It will be interesting to see how crypto factors into many Americans' retirement plans in the next few decades. Although the movies were humorous, all three of them helped us gain a better understanding of how our financial systems function. My favorite movie was "The Big Short", as it helped explain what led to the financial collapse of 2008, which was something I was already interested in but didn't fully understand.  I would definitely recommend this course to any student who hopes to avoid drowning in eternal debt, as learning how to plan out your future is crucial to avoiding debt as well as climbing out of debt. Beyond just trying to stay out of debt, this course gives you a clear roadmap to one day achieving financial independence.